The Baring Foundation has reopened its Arts and Mental Health Programme, this time with a specific focus on projects that promote creativity among men from ethnically diverse backgrounds who have a mental health issue.
The Arts and Mental Health Grants Programme is intended to provide funding for Global Majority-led arts organisations to develop creative work with people faced with mental health issues and challenges. The term ‘Global Majority’ normally refers to people who are Black, African, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and/or have been racialised as 'ethnic minorities'. For the purposes of the Baring Foundation's Arts and Mental Health Grants Programme, ‘Global Majority’ means communities that experience racism in the UK, including Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
Grants should be used to provide participatory creative activities for men living with mental health issues, mostly from Global Majority communities. It is also hoped that the Fund will help address the under-representation of artists from ethnically diverse backgrounds working in arts and mental health.
The Foundation is particularly looking to fund projects which provide new and attractive creative opportunities for men who are not already taking part, and target those men who are least likely otherwise to take part.
Please note that, while the lead applicant should ideally be a Global Majority-led arts organisation, applications from partnerships, including, for example, non-Global Majority-led agencies that focuses on challenges caused by poor mental health are also welcomed. By the term ‘arts organisation’, the Foundation means an organisation whose primary purpose is around the arts and creativity broadly defined. Applicants working in partnership with relevant community groups and sharing resources are encouraged to apply.
Grants of between £20,000 and £50,000 are available to arts organisations in the UK for either of the following approaches, or a combination of the two:
1. Work which finds ways to achieve equal representation (or a significant increase) of men in mixed gender creative activities, and/or
2. Men-only creative activities.
Projects should take place over at least a 12-month period. Projects that take place over 2 two or more years are likely to be prioritised.
Applicants must be:
o An established arts organisation of any kind (including museums). This could be a charity or a regulated social enterprise, such as a Community Interest Company. In this case, ‘arts organisation’ means an organisation whose primary purpose is around the arts and creativity broadly defined. Applicants working in partnership with relevant community groups and sharing resources are encouraged to apply.
o Arts organisations that are Global Majority-led (see definition above). For the purposes of the Fund, ‘global majority’ means communities that experience racism in the UK, including Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, and
o Arts organisations that have been established for at least 2 years with audited accounts for a minimum 2-year period showing an annual turnover of at least £75,000 per annum.
Further information, guidance and details about how to apply can be found on the Baring Foundation website.
The application deadline is 12 noon (midday) on Tuesday 26rd April 2024.
For organisations interested in applying, the Foundation has scheduled two Information Sessions via Zoom on:
1. Monday 4th March 2024 from 2pm to 3:15pm, and
2. Tuesday 19th March 2024 from 2pm to 3:15pm.
Registration may be made at this LINK.
Email: baring.foundation(at)ing.com
